We stand with Afe Babalola – Profs, lawyers

Legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, who complains of being defamed by human rights activist Dele Farotimi, now has the open support of a group Justice4AfeBabalolaLegacy(JABL).

JABL, a group of some professors and lawyers, has  Professors Adeyemi Ademowo, Ademola Azeez, Ayodeji Emmanuel, and Mr Femi Alufa and Rotimi Opeyeoluwa, as members.

Speaking to journalists, the Convener of the group Alufa and its Publicity Secretary, Opeyeoluwa, said people should not allow anyone to rubbish the legacy of Babalola. They said they wanted justice to be served to both Babalola and Farotimi at the end of the ongoing criminal defamation court case.

They explained that they wanted justice to be served to both parties at the end of the case.

“At 96, we will not sit by and watch somebody turn around what this man has achieved through hard work,” they said.

They said Farotimi’s book, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System’ in which  Babalola  was allegedly defamed, was not predicated on fact but rumour.

“Afe has produced more SANs, and lawyers than anyone has produced in this country. We want the world to know that we believe in this man.

“If we have the resources, we can go throughout the country to tell them that Afe does not represent what this man said he is,” they said.

They said it was not wrong for Babalola to seek for Farotimi to be sued for criminal defamation rather than taking the civil option.

They said, “If Chief Afe says he wants to pursue it as a criminal defamation, it is his right. You can’t dictate to a lawyer how you want his case to be remedied. As long as it’s not extrajudicially pursued, he has the rights.

“In this country, some things we call human rights activism are not. Human rights must not negate another person’s rights. Justice must be served Farotimi and it must be served Chief Afe Babalola.”